1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nail magazine including a plurality of guide sleeves for receiving each a nail-shaped fastening element and arranged in a row next to each other in a spaced relationship with respect to each other, with each guide sleeve including two end region, a central receiving bore extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the guide sleeve, and a through-opening located between the two end regions and extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide sleeve and transverse to a longitudinal extent of the nail magazine,and a plurality of pairs of spaced from each other connection webs for connecting, respectively, adjacent sides of adjacent guide sleeve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For attaching of thin-walled constructional elements to a constructional component, setting tools with which nail-shaped fastening elements, e.g., such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,345, are driven through the constructional element into the constructional component, are used. In order to insure that the constructional element lies on the constructional component backlash-free, on one hand, and to insure, on the other hand, damping of the drive-in energy applied to the fastening element, guide sleeves, which are elastically deformable in a direction parallel to the setting direction, are used together with the fastening elements. A plurality of guide sleeves, which are arranged in a row next to each other in a spaced relationship toward each other and are connected with each by connection webs projecting sidewise from the guide sleeves, form a nail magazine. Two connection webs, which are spaced from each other in a direction parallel to a guide sleeve longitudinal axis, are provided between each two adjacent guide sleeves. Each guide sleeve has a central receiving bore extending parallel to the guide sleeve longitudinal axis in which a nail-shaped fastening element is received. In its middle portion, each guide sleeve has a through-opening which extends transverse to the guide sleeve longitudinal axis and transverse to the longitudinal extent of the nail magazine.
In a conventional guide sleeve, the opposite end regions of the guide sleeve have different cross-sections. Therefore, only a hexagonal end region, which has a large surface, can contribute to guidance of the guide sleeve and of the fastening element in the guide tube of a setting tool. In the end region facing in a direction opposite to the setting direction, the guidance of the fastening element in the guide tube is effected by a fastening element head the cross-sectional surface of which substantially corresponds to the cross-sectional surface of the end region of the guide sleeve facing in the setting direction. Because the fastening element head can be in a direct contact with the inner wall of the guide tube, wear of the inner wall of the guide tube takes place. This adversely affects the guidance of the fastening element in the guide tube. A further drawback of the known guide sleeve consists in that the nail magazine, which is formed by the guide sleeves, has a reduced stiffness in a plane extending in a direction transverse to the guide sleeve longitudinal axis.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a nail magazine that can be economically produced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nail magazine in which a good guidance of the fastening element in the guide tube of a setting tool in insured, and the wear of the inner wall of the guide tube is prevented.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a nail magazine in which the connection webs, on one hand, provide for high stiffness of the nail magazine and, on the other hand, are easily severed.